The Thoracic Surgery Residents Association (TSRA) was established in 1997 under the guidance of the Thoracic Surgery Directors Association (TSDA) to create a unified voice to represent residents during cardiothoracic surgery training. The organization has developed as a core mission a focus on improving the quality, accessibility and utility of resident education. The current publication seeks to provide a resource which may be used in the surgeon's daily practice as a resource for the review of the major steps of an operation as well as a guide to the appropriate documentation of the conduct...